Sunday, 19 June 2011

Sometimes you hear a piece of music in passing, and something about it strikes you, or brings about nostalgic memories. Personally, I don't keep on track with the charts, or much modern music at all in any case - the only way I know about any recent tracks would be from the radio on the bus, or the overly enthusiastic sister singing along in the next room.
Sometimes, it's hard to capture the emotion on a piece of music without experiencing it for yourself in first-person, live and unadulterated - do you ever wonder how mere electrical waves and frequencies can mix together to produce harmonies and emotions without even being seen? Perhaps I'm looking too deep into the nature of music, some of you might be able to relate, and to the rest, I'll come across as full of BS. In any case, give the piece a listen and tell me if or how it makes you feel.

Friday, 10 June 2011

Japan. It's well know for being the producer of many strange, mystical, depraved, or downright crazy concoctions. Today I'll be sharing with you an 'adventure/roguelike' PC game called "Elona - Eternal League of Nefia", developed by 'Noa'.

The game starts of with you, the hero of a chosen race, sex, and costume, waking up in a cave, followed by a brief playthrough tutorial - and then you are left to your own devices to explore and develop at your own pace.

After familiarising yourself with the controls, you find yourself randomly encountering turn-based combat situations, which you can manipulate through stats, weapons, throwing potions, casting spells, and even having a pet (or 5) fight for you. Towns and cities are dispersed through the world of 'North Tyris', each having a unique set of NPC's such as shopkeepers, guards, and quest-givers.
The player is able to earn money through dungeoneering and doing quests, which can be spent on armour, weapons, food, or ...prostitutes, if that's your thing. It's not exactly Grand Theft Auto, but the freedom given to the player is immersive despite the simple sprite interface and display - you become hungry and sleepy over time, become 'burdened' by carrying too much, or 'bloated' by over-eating.

The player can communicate with various NPCs - here, a selection of raw foods from a low-level baker is displayed.

Aside from the gripping town-areas, the player can navigate the map to find randomly generated dungeons, forests, and forts, in which heaps of monsters can be found - from the simple 'Putit' to the mighty 'Wizard of Elea'. The game's learning curve is notoriously steep, and pressing the wrong button can easily cause the player to die, losing money and items, and returning to their home. But after some successful dungeoneering and luck, the player may afford a more generous abode, ranging from a shack to a multi-story castle. The progression of time brings about many events - tax has to be paid once the player reaches a certain level, balanced out by the salary, which is calculated based on level, fame, and many other variables.

In this random dungeon, the player is immediately confronted with a mixture of both friendly and hostile monsters.

The player can choose to compete in arenas which are found in a couple of cities, invest in stores to increase the choice of products available, and even create genetic-engineering programmes through breeding their pets. The main objective of the game is to restore peace to the land through entering the dungeon of 'Lesimas' and uncovering the deep secrets of the ancient land... or something. I've not personally finished the main quest yet, because there's just so much to do aside from that. I'd definitely recommend at least trying it, and with some tenacity it can be an exciting game, if you can put up with the somewhat awkward controls and the difficulty.

Thursday, 9 June 2011

I am a keen pianist, and recently did my grade 6 exam after 4 years without lessons. It was a real challenge for sure, as I'd just been playing freestyle - jazz, rock, theme... whatever piqued my interest. Anyway, I ended up passing the exam (with distinction :p) and am now working towards grade 8 at the end of the year... The thing is, grades don't mean much to me (it's more of a qualification thing) and I never judge a musician by what grade they are. Just listen to this piece of music, an interpretation of the 'Castlevania III' theme from Nintendo. It reminds me how much I still have to learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f42x1j8BGmI

Now I'm starting to learn it with an actual tutor, who notes the metaphors and implications of each note separately... which is why it's taking a long time to learn :)